


Secret Beach

by AussieTransfan2015, TheBigLoserQueen



Series: Merpeople AU [5]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Escape, Friendship, Gen, Het, Human, Interspecies, Interspecies Relationship(s), Kidnapped, Light Angst, Merpeople, Polyamory, escape plan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 13:02:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10514298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AussieTransfan2015/pseuds/AussieTransfan2015, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBigLoserQueen/pseuds/TheBigLoserQueen
Summary: Solstice finds where Eclipse disappeared to.





	

Solstice normally didn't ski out this far into the blue, but Drift and Perceptor had insisted this was the best place to stock up on that strange energon seaweed they made her eat. It was one of the only ways she could swim long enough with them without worrying about air. Finding a buoy was the hard part, or anywhere she could moor her jet ski without it floating away with the current, but Drift had found an outcrop a long chain would be tied to, making a makeshift mooring.

Slipping on her flippers and mask, she flipped back into the water. With a few kicks she came face to face with her boys, both cooing and calling out haunting notes while swimming up beside her. Pushing them off, playfully kicking beside them, she readjusted her rebreather and followed after them.

"The seaweed is just there, Solstice," Perceptor pointed down to a small outcrop on the side of a reef. The strange bulbous seaweed seemed to hum in the water, shining blue when the sun's rays managed to hit them.

"We'll stay on the perimeter, sharkticons swim in this area," the sudden burst of bubbles from her breather startled the pair, Solstice hurried a small sign asking 'why are we here then?'

"The largest crop of the seaweed is too far out to sea," Perceptor explained. "It would take at least a day for us to swim there and another to swim back." Solstice understood, but again questioned why she had to come into shark infested waters with them too. They should have told her before coming out here.

"There shouldn't be any sharks out around now. They mostly stay to the island cove in that direction," pointing out, Solstice remembered there was a small island not far from the beach. Teens sometimes took paddle boats out there for parties or to explore. Nodding again, Solstice kicked out and down toward the seaweed. 

Pulling out a small knife, she worked through the leathery plant, slicing off what she needed and putting it away in her bag. Perceptor, coming up beside her, placed another strip of the weed into her sack before searching for danger. The mermen took turns, one stood watch while the other helped her, it was slowly turning to a pleasant day out.

But something shifted, Solstice looked up only moments before a large gaping mouth hurtled towards her. Drift and Perceptor had gone back to patrolling and hadn't seen the shark, Solstice only managing to duck out of the way. Teeth sliced through her tank tubing, releasing a burst of oxygen. Panicked, afraid the tank would be caught and she would be dragged by the horror, she strapped off the tank and breather.

Scrambling, she snatched a bulb of the seaweed and sucked. The strange tangy burned down her throat before pooling, gasping for a needed breath. Water flowed into her mouth and lungs but instead of choking and struggling, she was able to calm the burn for air.

"Fresh meat~" the sudden voice had her kicking forward, trying to out-swim the shark.

"Where are you going!" another called, with another shape passing overhead. Solstice searched around, finding anywhere she could hide of escape them.

A quick glance down, she spotted an opening in the coral just large enough for her to slip through. Darting for the hole, the two sharks took their chance, arms out to snatch her up.

Passing through in time, Solstice shriek from a sudden burn. The coral was so abrasive or stung like an anemone, a long burn seared her arm and burned from the salt water around her. A loud thud turned her attention back though, seeing the sharks drive into the coral, suffering the same burns. Taking the chance, she swam as hard as she could toward the island.

"Where did she go?!"

"You lost her!"

"Oh yeah, like you were any help!"

Their shouts lined and fell silent as she came to the shallows. Gasping, the feeling of the energon on her tongue prickling from fresh oxygen, she dropped to the sand. She never had to swim that fast before, or for that long. And where was Perceptor and Drift? Where they alright? She hadn't noticed them when the sharks attacked and they didn't come to help her.  Had there been more than the two?

"H-H-Hello?!"

Jumping, Solstice drew her knife, looking around and along the beach. Where had that voice come from? But when she turned around, her panic turned to confusion as she watched someone slowly walking towards her.

Behind them was... what looked to be a cabana like the one's on the island's newest resort. It looked more like a small house with a fit pit outside of it. Almost as if this were someone's private beach... The woman was dressed in a light purple beach dress that came down to her lower thighs, no sandals, her dark brown hair blowing in the breeze.

And Solstice knew her; Eclipse worked for her mother at a tuck shop near the beach, selling food, drinks and coffees for the beach goers and tourists visiting their island. They hadn't talked much, but she had always seemed friendly. Whenever they did talk, Solstice had enjoyed her company. But she had heard she went missing in a shark attack. She had been missing for three weeks... But the thought fell short as Eclipse stumbled through the sand and flung her arms around Solstice.

Eclipse's heart was beating hard in her chest, her eyes wide as she kept her hands planted flat against the other. This... It wasn't a dream. She was just imagining it. Too many times she had dreamed that someone had found her, someone came to take her back home... And then she would wake up. Wake up in her small cabana staring at a ceiling and remembering no, no one was coming to save her.

She had no idea how Solstice would have been able to find her, but she had... She was here, on this little island where her only contact had been with the alpha sharkticon that had brought her here.

"Solstice..." Eclipse started shaking, burying her face into the other's shoulder. "Primus... Primus, you're here. You're actually here..."

"H-hey hey, shh. It's okay, yes I'm here." Solstice gently wrapped her arms around her to help calm her shakes. Just what had happened that led to her living here, on this secluded beach in what looked like a well-maintained cabana? Watching her shakes calm with her sobs falling quiet, she pulled her back to look Eclipse in the eyes. "Eclipse, how did you get here?"

"I... I was brought here..." She had to pause, drawing in a deep breath to calm her nerves. "My friends and I were going to try to see if we could spot any mermaid pods."

That made sense. It was a new craze for islanders to go out and see if they could find merpeople to swim with, kind of like how when people wanted to swim with the dolphins.

"B-But..." Eclipse's hands tightened on Solstice's arms. "H-He pulled me under and shoved this... thing down my throat. All I remember is getting pulled farther down then everything went black. When I woke up, I was on this beach."

"Wait, he? He who?"

Eclipse opened her mouth to response, only to freeze up when she heard a single splash. She froze up in terror, both looking out into the water. A large fin poked out as it made its way around the beach. But before Solstice could even ask, Eclipse grabbed her hand and forced her to follow her back to the cabana.

"H-Hey-!"

"SSHH!" Eclipse said harshly, still pulling her along as the other tried to keep up. It was hard walking around the sand still in her flippers, but Eclipse never let go of her hand. She just dragged her behind her as she reached the cabana, pushing her inside before the terrified woman closed the door behind her. They both panted hard, Eclipse leaning back against the door while Solstice leaned against the nearby wall to steady herself.

"Eclipse?"

She didn't reply, peering out the window with an anxious look on her face.

Slipping out of her flippers and getting back some mobility, Solstice edged to a window. She placed her back to the wall and edged a curtain aside, peering out back over the water. A shark fin, no doubt in her mind, sliced through the water as it swam from one bank to another, circling in the deep water before coming closer to land. In a single heave, the sharkticon pulled itself onto the sand. Hissing, Solstice flew back, her heart racing again. The very size of that shark was... nothing she had ever seen.

"Please tell me that's not the thing that kidnapped you."

Eclipse wished she could give her a positive answer but that would be a lie. Turning to lock eyes with Solstice, she only gave a small nod, which was returned by another swear as poor Solstice could only rest her head against the wall to try and take this all in.

A low growl rumbled between them, Eclipse tensing up. Solstice watched her peek out the window again. She tried to pull her back but a small huff and chirr sounded from the sharkticon again.

"Stay here," Eclipse said softly, taking her hands into hers. She gripped them tightly, locking eyes with the other. "Don't move or he might see you."

Solstice didn't like this, didn't like it at all. She wanted to keep Eclipse in the cabana. That... sharkticon clearly put the woman on edge. She was safer in here!

But Eclipse was already shaking her head. "The longer I stay in here, the more reason he has to come get me. I promise it won't be long. Just stay here... Please."

Solstice could only give up with a single nod. Moving to the far back of the cabana, she slid behind a large chair so he couldn't see her once the door opened. Another growl rolling as a warning, Eclipse quickly running out the door. She closed it behind her, allowing Solstice to move around without being seen.

Eclipse shifted through the sand, watching the curious sharkticon. She knew at in any moment, he would latch onto her. He had the speed despite his size, dwarfing her at least a few feet just from his waist. Grasping her arm, trying to steel her nerves like a taut band, she flinched as he reached out for her. Finned arms wrapped around her, raising her up from the ground but fell back, lying down on the soft sand with her trapped in his arms and resting on his chest. She didn't dare move, feeling his webbed fingers teasing and playing with her hair.

"You shouldn't lock yourself up indoors all day, Eclipse," he murmured.

She hesitated in responding. He knew why she didn't leave her little cabana much, except to shower by the nearby creek or when he called her out. Only a few times she had been brave enough to go swimming out in the private beach. Sometimes he just watched her. Other times, he came up behind her and scared her.

Her silence was only met with a soft, dark chuckle. "That afraid, are you?"

"I-I..."

Of course she was afraid. He had kidnapped her three weeks ago and brought her here! And he had planned to do this for quite some time now... Why else would he have not only a perfect location, but a cabana for her to live in that was fully furnished and had a ton of clothes? It frightened her a bit, even though he assured her she had nothing to be afraid of.

It was half-true. During her three weeks here, he hadn't really done anything to her. He hadn't hurt her; never once tried to eat her and he hadn't attempted anything sexual either.  The most he did was hold her and occassionally kiss her. It had made her incredibly uneasy, but it could have been a lot worse. That didn't mean she was exactly happy with her current set of circumstances though.

"For the best, I suppose," he mused, curling a stubborn strand around his finger. "My pack is search the waters, running the perimeters. Best to stay on the beach." Eclipse stilled a moment, Megatron often took it as a sign she was curious but too nervous to ask. "Trespassers, nothing to fear. We will drive them out, then perhaps... we might have a swim together."

Eclipse nodded, her body still tense with nerves.

Megatron sighed, placing a chaste kiss on her head, taking a deep inhale of her hair. His arms slipped, allowing her to crawl free before he moved back into the water.

"If you see anything in the water, anything, you are to scream. Understand?" His eyes held her down, getting a shaky nod in response. "I will hear you."

As he finally disappeared into the water, Eclipse released the breath she didn't realize she was holding and collapsed to the ground. Primus, every time he came to visit her, every time he was near her, er heart raced a mile a minute. She always sought for some kind of answer, some sort of logic that would explain why he had brought her here, what he wanted from her.

She glanced back over the cabana, suddenly remembering Solstice. A small wave of relief washed over her; Megatron made no mention or hint of seeing her, so he had probably didn't know she was here. Standing up, she dusted off the sand from her dress and legs before hurrying back to the cabana. Slipping through the door and quickly pulling it shut, she found Solstice wandering through the small dwelling, looking at some of the photo frames and furniture.

Hearing the door close, Solstice turned back to Eclipse, running up to the shaking woman. "Are you okay?" she demanded, moving her arms to hold her. "Did he hurt you?"

Eclipse shook her head, welcoming a hug from Solstice.

At least that was a relief. She quickly guided Eclipse to a chair, helping her sit down while she sat on a chair across from her. They sat in silence for a few moments, Solstice merely holding her hand while the other tried to collect herself. It took a few minutes before she was finally calm, Eclipse leaning back into her seat as tension left her body.

"So what now?" Solstice asked, taking a look around.

"W-what do you mean? We can't leave..."

"We can sure as hell try."

Solstice stood, moving to a window. Eclipse watched, but she knew Solstice was only grasping at straws. She knew how fast Megatron was. They were only human; they couldn't hold their breath for long and they wouldn't be able to out swim any of the others in his pod. She had already tried several times and someone, if not Megatron himself, always brought her back.

"W-We can't," she protested more sternly. "He said some of his pod are patrolling, something about trespassers..."

She paused when she heard a small noise come from Solstice. She slowly stood up and turned to face her. She was surprised to see Solstice smiling. She whispered something under her breath, something she didn't catch.

"Solstice? Are... Are you again?"

Solstice nodded, still smiling. She quickly ran to where she had been hiding earlier. Eclipse just watched as she quickly came back, hoping a small pack Eclipse didn't see before. Where had it come from? With Solstice's back to her, she noticed her wetsuit had a patch of color that wasn't there before, a zipper on its perimeter. Had the pack been zipped on?

"We can use these!" From the pack, Solstice produced small round bulbs, soft and seemed to be filled with liquid. The bright azure color snapped a familiar memory from Eclipse.

"That was what he forced me to swallow," she mused, taking hold of the bulb.

"It's from energon seaweed." Solstice produced another, holding it up to her. "It's like food for merfolk, but when humans eat it, it allows us to breath underwater."

"But... that's impossible-"

"It isn't... I've eaten them," Eclipse, still confused, watched as Solstice showed her the pack full of the bulbs. "Those 'trespassers'... they're friends. Other merfolk, they were with me collecting the bulbs, so I would have something for them... in case they come to see me."

"Solstice..." Eclipse could see she was nervous, about what, she wasn't sure. "They're... not like him, are they?"

"No, no god no," Solstice smiled. "Drift was a rescue, and Perceptor - his mate - was mourning him. Swimming around the marine park he was kept in." Taking a seat, she showed Eclipse a photo from the pack. It was one of those waterproof snaps from undersea cameras. It was a picture of Solstice with a beautiful red, teal and black merman with silken fins and a white, red and black sharkticon. "Perceptor washed up near my house, tangled in a fishing net from that last hurricane we had. Cut him loose, helped him heal then found out about Drift."

"Then... that break in was..."

"Me. And a few friends. But if you worked there, you would've seen what they did to their 'rescues'."

Eclipse had heard rumors of the aquatic centre using their rescues as entertainment, sometimes even organizing feedings. There wasn't anything concrete though, until after the break in and three or four rescues went missing. No evidence was found; cameras were down and no other way of finding suspects. Still, she never would have thought that one the regulars at her shop was involved...

"It was sick; they almost caught Perceptor too when he kept swimming by the bay wall and calling for Drift."

"You should have called the police," Eclipse watched her turn away, showing some manner of guilt. "Reported what you had seen." 

"Then what?" Solstice asked, wiping her face. "We tried but the centre won out in the end, having the claims dismissed. And if we went with the Aquatic Protection group, they would've just moved Drift and all the rest to some other facility. The break-in was our best bet." Solstice sighed, it was a relief to finally admit what she did. What they had to, to save Drift, Rodimus and the others. "If I had to do it again... I would."

Eclipse could almost smile. Though she didn't agree with the method, her intent was good enough. Some eco-activists would do a lot worse then what her group had done. Perhaps vandalized the centre, injured guards. But all she could recall was a guard put to sleep with a tranq and no visual on them. They wanted to help, not to hurt.

"So... after meeting them, you would swim with them?" she asked, shifting the subject.

Solstice turned to her, thinking she would get more of a lecture. Eclipse, however, smiled; placing her hand on hers and giving it a light squeeze. Solstice returned the smile, thankful for the understanding and returning to their task.

"Yeah. They hang around the bay, and since I moved down to the waters edge, they hang around closer. Perceptor gave me a bulb to try and the next thing I know, I'm swimming farther than I ever had without gear. Even with gear!" A bright smile bloomed across Solstice's face, showing she truly cared for these two merfolks. "So I think if we eat these, and with my flippers, we can swim back to my jet ski and get back to the bay."

"But like I said, Megatron's pod is patrolling the waters. They'll catch us."

Solstice paused for a moment. Well, that was true... And if they could outrun a few, they couldn't outrun them all. Surely there had to be something....

"Wait... there is a reef close by." Looking back to her arm, it was still red from the coral, though no longer inflamed. "Two sharkticons tried to catch me on the other side of the reef, near where Drift and Perceptor were last. It burned them like it did me; the reef stretches all the way to this beach."

"So if we stay near the reef..."

"Then we should be able to swim the length without any sharkticons seeing us."

Eclipse was still hesitant, her eyes going back to the water. Primus, she wanted to... So badly, she wanted to go with Solstice and return home. She missed her mother and her siblings, she missed being with her friends. She didn't want to be stuck here, prisoner to a sharkticon who wouldn't even tell her why he brought her here in the first place.

Besides, she had already tried to run away. And none of the times ever worked. Megatron just seemed to know when she was gone or trying to escape... She didn't want to put Solstice in danger when she had more of a chance to get out.

She shook her head. "I... I can't."

Solstice's eyes widened. "Eclipse-!"

"No... No, I just, I can't do it," she murmured softly, hugging herself tightly. "He'll find me, he always finds me... And I'm not as good of a swimmer as you are, he'll catch us. And he'll probably kill you."

She cursed. Solstice paced, trying to find some idea of what she could do for Eclipse. She didn't deserve to be here. Why on earth did his sharkticon want to keep Eclipse so badly?

"Eclipse, I... I can't just leave you here."

Eclipse shook her head. "You need to. You have a better chance of escaping than I do."

Solstice didn't want to agree with her. She just didn't want to leave her here! But... But she had a point. Eclipse couldn't swim as well or as fast as she could. They would probably be caught and the last thing she wanted to be was food. Not only that, but if she died, then once again, no one would know where Eclipse was. At least if she made it back, perhaps she could try to find a way to lead investigators here. Let them know that Eclipse was alive and well and just trapped on an island by some sharkticon for whatever reason.

Still, even if only she was going to leave, she still had no idea what she was going to do once she had to break away from the coral.

"Where's your jet ski?" Eclipse suddenly asked, peering out the window.

"A little east of here... Down by a buoy."

"Then... I could swim west."

Solstice perked up, confused frowing her brow. "But you just said..."

Eclipse raised her hand to stop Solstice's sentence. "I can draw them away. That way, you can swim out of here without being seen."

"Oh, come on, that is just crazy."

"But what other choice is there?"

Solstice couldn't retort that. Still, she stood, disliking this situation more and more. She didn't want to leave Eclipse here alone. It wasn't right to just up and leave her... But there wasn't anything else she could do, no matter how hard she thought about. Damn it, she hated feeling so powerless that she couldn't do little else.

Eclipse was suddenly standing next to her, taking her hands gently into hers. "Solstice... I just want you to get away from here safe. I can distract him and his pod long enough for you to swim to the reef and get back to your skii. It's your only way out of here."

Sighing with defeat, Solstice had to no choice but relent. There were no other options. If she wanted to get out of here alive, she would have to leave the other behind, no matter how unwilling she was to do so. Changing the grip, Solstice took Eclipse's hands, holding them firm.

"Promise me." Looking Eclipse dead in the eye, she knew this was the only way she could leave her here. "Promise me you'll stay safe. Promise me... that you'll still be here when I come back."

"He might… He _will_ attack you. It would be safer if you-"

"No," Solstice shook her head. "I will come back, I don't care if this sharkticon gets antsy, I'll come back... And I'll get you out of here. I promise."

Eclipse wished she wasn't so stubborn. Solstice was going to get herself hurt for her, something she just couldn't cope with. Just because she was in this sort of situation didn't mean other people had to get hurt because of it... Besides, she wasn't being hurt or abused. She could live like this if it meant others wouldn't get hurt. The last times she had tried escaping didn't have consequences either... She would be fine.

Once Solstice had collected her things, Eclipse quickly led her out the back door of the cabana. Hiding within the trees and getting away from the shoreline, Eclipse led her to the far East side of the island. They eventually made it out of the jungle-like area and reached a precipice. Solstice couldn't see another shoreline around this side of the island. Primus, no wonder no one could find Eclipse for so long...

"Which way is your jet ski?"

The question snapped Solstice out of her thoughts, pointing out into the distance towards the right.

"Okay, you jump in first and then I'll follow."

But Solstice didn't want this, she didn't want her to be trapped here. All alone. With her only companion being her captor that Eclipse was clearly afraid of. With someone who had just taken her for himself and clearly never even tried to explain anything to the poor woman.

Eclipse knew it too. So she took her hands, making her look in her eyes. "Promise me."

Solstice sighed. She couldn't say no even if she wanted to. Looking to the logic, Eclipse remaining here would keep the sharkticon pod far away from their beach home. And yet the idea of her being so isolated and trapped didn't sit well with her either... Damn it, she didn't have much of a choice.

"I promise...so long as you promise to get a message to me if you need anything, okay?"

Eclipse wanted to shake her head, but just as Solstice had phrased the request, she knew she could keep the promise and keep Solstice away. Nodding, it seemed to give Solstice some sense of relief.

One last hug and they set their plan in motion. Solstice knew it would take her at least a few minutes to get close to the reef, then Eclipse would drop in. By that time, the sharkticons will see her and not Solstice.

While Solstice steeled herself for the jump, Eclipse reached over to grab a sharp rock. One that would guarantee the sharkticons would come to her, and bring Megatron straight to her. She couldn't tell Solstice, she would try and change the plan. So long as she got away, that's all that mattered.

"Be careful,” Eclipse said softly.

Solstice smiled, turning to face Eclipse. One last look at her before she popped the energon bulb in her mouth and allowed herself to fall back, relaxing a moment before straightening out her body with feet pointed down and speared through the water's surface.

Once Solstice disappeared into the depths, Eclipse started counting. She had to time her jump exactly two minutes after Solstice; too soon and the cons would get them both. But she knew her trump card would prevent that. Once she was certain Solstice was far enough away, Eclipse slashed her hand, watching as the rock sliced through skin deep enough to pool blood. Not enough to cause any damage but just enough to bring the sharks in.

Eclipse made a less flashy jump than Solstice and sliced through the water feet first. Blowing air out of her nose to keep it from filling her brain, Eclipse kicked and swam for the surface. Salty water stung and cleaned her wound, blood waving through the water as it disappeared. Gasping for air, all she needed to do was wait and paddle away in the opposite direction. Taking a breath to slip back under, Eclipse smiled as she spotted Solstice in the depths, her flippers propelling her fast into the coral and reef; she paused a moment to look back, waving and pointing behind Eclipse.

"Eclipse!"

The chorus of sounds rang out in the water, turning her to find not just Megatron, but over half his pod - most of whom should have been patrolling. All had been drawn by the taste of blood, hoping to find something injured to eat. But the moment Megatron laid eyes on her, they backed off; they all knew she belonged to him.

She paused a moment too long, seeing two of the sharkticons turn toward the reef. Turning in the opposite direction to Solstice, Eclipse started kicking as hard as she could in the opposite direction, hoping to lure the approaching pod away from her friend.

"Eclipse! Stop!"

Solstice turned, hearing the growling call. She watched as Eclipse tried to swim away, dragging the attention of the sharkticons away from the reef. She didn't feel right, leaving Eclipse here. But she had promised; there was nothing she could do. So she pulled and pushed through the reef, slipping past two stragglers to get out of the reef.

Eclipse didn’t fair as well, not even reaching the patch of shallows just off the west side of the island before Megatron snagged her kicking foot, pulling her back under. Struggling, Megatron buried her into his chest, his thick tail swishing hard to propel them both back around to the secluded beach. But he bypassed the beach, instead swimming into the hidden cove he and his pod used as a home. Ledges dotted the surrounding walls, acting like beds or seats, allowing some to rest out of the water for a time. Unlike the legends, merpeople could survive outside of water if they wanted to; many simply didn't.

A central ledge remained untouched, Megatron easily pulling himself and Eclipse onto land. He released her allowing Eclipse to fall onto her hands and knees, coughing from holding her breath too long. Then Megatron snatched her injured hand, holding it up as if she were a child who stole a cookie.

"What happened?" he growled, his anger shooting fear right through her.

Primus, she had never seen him this angry before. She almost faltered, but kept a straight face. "I...I...I just fell..."

"Why were you up on the cliffs?" he growled again, watching as her hand bleed freely, the red droops pool and drip over his hand.

"I...I was having a walk, w-wanted to look at the v-view...a rock cracked and I...just fell."

"Then why swim away from me?! Were you trying to escape again?!"

His grip tightened, causing her to gasp in fright and slightly pain. He quickly loosened his grip, but tears were already pooling in her eyes. Poor Eclipse was ready to have a panic attack. But she kept herself composed. She had to endure, to ensure they didn't find out about Solstice.

"I was injured! I was bleeding! I didn't know if... if you'd..."

Megatron growled, letting of her hand. Damn it, did she really think that they were such savages that they would have killed her because of a little blood? He had thought she was learning to accept them more…

Another sharkticon entered the cove. Megatron growled while the member nodded, swimming off before another approached with drinkable water. The merman returned with a rubbery, sticky looking kelp. Taking the cup, Eclipse hissed as the water burned more than soothed. She noticed small flecks of something in the water, was that the cause for the burning. Placing the cup down, Megatron wrapped the sticky kelp around her hand, allowing it to stick to her skin and itself.

"Keep it on," was all he said, pulling her closer.

The kelp soothed whatever burned her, cause a light tingling on her skin and a soothing effect on the cut. It felt weird, but it was worth it. Solstice got out and she would be safe. And she would be fine too. It would all work out. 

* * *

Solstice could feel the effects of the energon waring off, feeling the familiar burn for oxygen aching through her chest. But she had made it back; the ski still tethered to the buoy.

Before she could wonder and search for her friends, something crashed into her side. Air forced from her already burning lungs, she struggled to surface. Flashes of color and movement brought her breaking through the water's surface, gasping to air and coughing what she accidentally inhaled.

"Solstice!” the voice cried, rubbing and nuzzling everything he could clutch to. “Oh, Solstice, you're okay!"

“Wh-Drift-?!”

"Solstice, where were you? Perceptor surfaced alongside, not as aggressive in his nuzzling, but still relieved to find her safe. “We've been searching everywhere."

Oh thank Primus, it was just them. A wave of relief came over her, relaxing in their grip. "I got chased by two sharkticons, managed to find an island and..." She paused a moment. She wanted so badly to say it, to at least the one beings capable of saving Eclipse that she was there, that she needed help. But if she were anything other than stubborn, it was loyal. "Rested up before swimming back, I used the coral as a cover."

"Yes, that particular strain of coral is highly hazardous," Perceptor cooed, nuzzling her.

"We're so sorry," Drift pulled her into his grasp again, much to Perceptor's dismay. "Never again. We'll never bring you back into such dangerous waters."

"Really, Drift, I'm fine," she said with a smile, running her fingers over the fins protruding from his head. Preening and leaning into her touch, Drift looked to her. "Next time, we'll just need to be more careful, or I'll stay closer to you. Promise."

"Okay." Purring, Drift helped Solstice back onto her ski, Perceptor keeping it stable as she sat down on the seat. Gripping the handles to start the engine, Solstice noticed something on her hands. They seemed rougher, and her skin seemed to clear at her knuckles.

Shaking her head, started the ski and followed Drift and Perceptor back home. But her eyes drifted back to where the island was, biting her lip. Even though she promised to stay away, she couldn’t just abandon her. She would return.

And when she did, she was going to bring Eclipse back home.  


End file.
